Minnesota Now

Minnesota could have a competitive race in the third Congressional district next year. Representative Dean Phillips says he won't run for reelection. We'll find out who's interested in taking his spot.

Rochester Public Schools is dealing with a hole in its budget. We'll get the details on plans to close three schools, move others, and change start times.

A new year is upon us, which leads many to think about making a change, like a professional one. We'll talk with an expert about navigating career transitions later in life.

We'll hear how St. Paul public works is getting ready for winter roads.

Have you ever tried a Taiwanese Hot Dog? How about a Lions Head pork bun? A food blogger in Rochester is celebrating Taiwanese recipes and local food through her new YouTube series.

Rochester Public Schools is facing a complicated redistricting overhaul aimed at reducing bussing times, getting elementary students to school earlier and saving some money. The proposal was announced Monday morning, and reporter Catharine Richert has been following this story. She joined the show from Rochester to explain why this big overhaul and what it proposes to do.

If you’re one of those people who fights cabin fever with travel blogs, you’re in for a treat. Tiffany Alexandria is an artist, cook, and blogger based in Rochester. She recently launched a YouTube series featuring food from Taiwan.

It is called Choo-Choo-Ca-Chew. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk all things Taiwanese food.

With Thanksgiving behind us, we are officially in the holiday season. For many, the holidays and the New Year mean a time of reflection and maybe some change. That could even mean looking at a new career or job. For younger people, it’s general easier to prepare for a career change. But it may seem daunting for those who are decades into their current career. U.S. government research suggests that a “job for life” is now a rarity, with college graduates between 18 and 46 likely to have around 12 jobs during their careers. What’s more, the survey showed that, of the jobs started by 40 to 46 year olds, 33% ended in less than a year. Kate Schaefers is the director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Minnesota. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about how to navigate later-life career transitions.

Minnesota’s most intensely debated art contest in memory is down to six designs for the next state flag and just a handful for the official seal, a tiny fraction of the more than 2,500 in total submissions.

For Brandon Hundt, that two of his submissions — one for the flag and another for the seal — remain in contention is an achievement in itself.

“This whole last 24 hours have just been surreal,” said Hundt, a Twin Cities based product designer and writer. Hundt spoke to MPR News on Wednesday after the State Emblems and Redesign Commission selected his concepts to move to final consideration.

Sarah Agaton Howes, an Ojibwe artist and small business owner, also had a design make the cut.

“I was just so excited and just thrilled to be able to even be a part of this process,” she said on Minnesota Now. “But to be able to have a flag that represents all of Minnesota is really exciting.”

Todd Pitman of St. Paul, another flag designer, created F944, which he calls “Mirror of the Sky.” The flag was a family effort: he designed it with input from his parents. 

“I just truly love my home state, and I really feel like it deserves a flag as unique and dynamic as the people who make it such a wonderful place to live,” he said.  

The half-dozen finalists chosen from among the stack of serious and comical entries haven’t escaped criticism online, and the commission making the selection could refine the designs before a final vote. 

The commission hasn’t released the names of all of the designers with entries in the mix, saying it wants to contact them first. But some have been vocal about their work, even posting about their concepts while the panel deliberated on Tuesday.

Each designer said they reviewed and stuck closely to the parameters laid out by the citizen panel formed by the Legislature to pick a new flag and state seal.

The current flag and seal have similar features that depict a white farmer tilling the land as an Indigenous man rides off on a horse.

For Agaton Howes, the fact the state is replacing the emblems is important in its own right.

“The flag that we currently have is really harmful and really based on Native nations disappearing,” she said. “And so I’m really excited to just represent who we are as Minnesotans, and also, as a Native person.” 

Agaton Howes entered F1435, a flag with a prominent yellow star and green nods to nature on a blue background; the sides have yellow stripes to represent tribal nations and white ones for each of Minnesota’s 87 counties.

Hundt’s flag entry, F29, has a deep blue background with two stars overlaid, one reminiscent of a snowflake.

Hundt has been fine-tuning his flag design since 2015 when he first posted online about his distaste for a Minnesota flag he said was hardly very symbolic or distinctive and had way too much on it.

“Flags should be simple because they’re up on a flagpole, often very high,” Hundt said. “And I think that’s the thing that often gets overlooked. We need to think about how these flags are going to look on a flagpole.”

Pitman is a graphic designer, but this is outside his usual realm of web design. He committed to the task at hand, becoming a member of the North American Vexillological Association and studying up on flag design.  

He said his flag design started with a squiggle shape inspired by the aurora, mirrored on the top and bottom half. Along the way, he and his father noticed that the shape looked a little like another commonly-submitted flag feature: a loon.  

“To quote Bob Ross, let’s call it a happy accident,” he said.  

Each have girded themselves for public criticism, much of which popped up quickly online as the stack of entries was whittled to six. Hundt said he won’t have a problem if the State Emblems Redesign Commission members play around with the features or colors before picking the ultimate flag.

Hundt also has a finalist in the state seal category.

“I’m really glad there’s a revision period with the commission. That is something that is missing from a lot of other flag processes that I've seen when I've looked into them,” he said. “Because I think it’s very important to actually test how the flag would work, how the seal would work before you throw it out there fully in use.”

Agaton Howes sees it similarly.

“That’s a really important part of working in community is being willing to have that back and forth. And I do that all the time. And all my design work, whether that’s designing a wool blanket or designing an art installation, that’s just a big part of the process,” she said. “And I’m here for it. I’m ready for it.”

The final selections will be made by the end of the year. The Legislature can vote to block them but if that doesn’t happen the emblems will take hold on May 11 — Statehood Day.

If their design is chosen in whole or in part, the artists will get some public recognition. But there won’t be prize money or any other direct compensation. 

Pitman said he is excited to see a new state flag. 

“I know that the decision is in good hands, no matter the outcome,” he said.

Agaton Howes said her reward will be a sense of pride. 

“I think that flags are really powerful. And I think that their way to claim it space, and I really want to have an image that I can my kids can feel proud of, that our communities can feel proud of,” she said. “And I’m absolutely willing to do that.”

Pitman said all six are “very strong contenders.”

“I’m obviously very biased, but I think that no matter what … all Minnesotans will be able to be proud to look up at the flagpole on May 11th and say, ‘That’s my flag, that’s my state.’”    

Do you know who designed the other flag finalists? Let us know by emailing [email protected].

There are now just six designs that could become Minnesota’s next state flag. We’ll hear from two of the finalists from more than 2,000 submissions about the stories behind their designs.

Plus, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and it’s looking less snowy out there than usual. MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner gives us our holiday forecast.

And turkey trots are a popular tradition, but we’ll hear about another race this weekend that refocuses on Indigenous history.

Plus, two Minnesota teachers are behind a brand-new songbook of Somali music, stories and traditions. We’ll learn more.

What do you remember from music class? Learning the xylophone and the recorder? Singing folk songs in unison with your classmates? Maybe a holiday concert or two?

A new book by two Minnesota educators could become part of those traditions. It’s called “The Rhythm of Somalia: A Collection of Songs, Stories, and Traditions.”

Qorsho Hassan is an educator, researcher, community organizer and Minnesota’s 2020 teacher of the year. She co-wrote the book alongside fellow educator Becca Buck. Qorsho joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

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  Burnsville music class includes songs familiar to Somali students
  
  

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

According to Runner’s World, last year, more than 750,000 runners across the country participated in some kind of Turkey Trot, a foot race for humans on Thanksgiving Day.

That’s not far from the population of North Dakota. The tradition goes back to Thanksgiving Day, 1896.

But for the last few years, runners with two organizations based in Minnesota and Virginia have been refocusing the tradition on Indigenous history. They’re hosting a ‘Truthsgiving’ run in Roseville, Minn., on Sunday. Folks can also participate virtually all weekend.

Angie DeLille is a member of Lake Manitoba First Nation and serves on the board of Minnesota-based ‘ReNew Earth Running.’ She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

An army of volunteers is putting the last touches on a Thanksgiving feast for thousands in Duluth. The annual free buffet started 34 years ago as a much smaller event in Superior, Wis.

Now, it draws hundreds of volunteers to cook, and serve as many as 7,000 turkey dinners. In 2009, MPR News’ Bob Kelleher went to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

Minnesota Now and Then went back to that story to give an inside look at the preparations that are still taking place today and helping feed thousands.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, and in recent memory we usually have some snow on the ground by now. But this warm November is making things look a little different. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.